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CNN International: Health Ministry: 40,000+ Palestinians Killed in 10 Months Of War; Gaza Ceasefire And Hostage Talks To Resume In Qatar; Ukraine Launches "Biggest Attack" Yet On Russian Airfields; Zelensky Calls On Allies To Supply Missiles; Harris To Lay Out Her Economic Vision On Friday; Hurricane Ernesto Sets Sights On Bermuda; Google: Iran's Hacking Venezuela Gripped By Economic, Political Struggles; W.H.O. Declares Outbreak A Global Health Emergency; Security Tight At Taylor Swift Shows After Terror Plots; TikTok Salafi Preacher Concerns Counterterrorism Experts; NASA's Decision On Stranded Astronauts At Least A Week Away. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired August 15, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, a devastating milestone, more than 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, the health ministry is saying one in 55 people in the Enclave are dead after 10 months of war.
Plus, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appearing together in Maryland today for the first time since Biden dropped out of the race for the White House. And Taylor Swift returns to the stage, the pop sensation taking over London's Wembley Stadium just a week after her Vienna shows were canceled due to a terror threat.
And we begin with a tragic milestone as international mediators take part in what's widely considered make it or break it ceasefire talks set to start in Qatar. The Gaza health ministry says more than 40,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas, and at least 10,000 people are also missing, and believed to be under the rubble.
It comes as stalled peace talks in Doha are set to resume. Hamas says, it will not take part in the new round of negotiations, but is willing to speak to mediators afterwards if there is a, quote, serious response from Israel, according to a source. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Haifa, Israel, and Jomana Karadsheh joins us now from Doha, Qatar. Jomana, to you first, there's a whole lot riding on these talks. What do we know so far?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we are still waiting for confirmation that these talks have started. They were supposed to be underway right around now, and as you mentioned, these are seen as the last ditch effort to try and reach a hostage release, and a ceasefire deal.
But look, I mean, expectations are low. No one is really expecting at this point that they are going to sign any sort of a deal at the end of the day, but it is seen as a positive first step if these talks do resume, a step in the right direction to try and reach an agreement
What you have right now is, yes, these talks have been on and off, going on for about 10 months now, but they appear to be happening right now under unprecedented pressure from the mediators, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, who are pushing to get this deal done, coming at a time when regional tensions are so high with real risk, as we have been hearing for weeks now, of the conflict in Gaza widening to an all-out regional war, and a ceasefire deal will be seen as potentially a way out of this, a way to de-escalate these tensions.
And as you mentioned, Hamas is not taking part in these talks. They said that they will not go to another round of negotiations. Instead, they will engage with the mediators on what they say is an implementation plan for that proposal. They say, they agreed to, that was presented by President Biden on May, the 31st that three-phase plan that was presented by the President.
And you have both sides, Israel and Hamas have accused each other over recent weeks and months of being the one responsible for obstructing these talks, so we'll have to wait and see what comes out of it. But as you mentioned, so much riding on these talks coming on a day where the -- where Gaza is marking a grim and horrific milestone.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, there, they say that more than 40,000 people have been killed in 10 months of war, and they believe, Fred, that the number is higher than that, with about 10,000 people unaccounted for.
They believe that they are buried under the rubble, and they say that the majority of those who have been killed are women and children, nearly 17,000 children who have lost their lives in this war that has been described by the United Nations as a war on children because of the sheer number of children who have lost their lives, who have been named, who have had their entire lives devastated by this war.
I want you to take a look at this report that was filmed by our cameraman in Gaza.
[08:05:00]
And it just offers you a small window into what children in the Enclave are going through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Everything we're about to show you was filmed over the course of four hours in a single day, a snapshot of 10 months of war for Gaza's children. Nothing can erase what these little eyes have seen, but they've come here to try to forget, even if just for a little while.
Most of these children were on their way to queue up for water, one of the newfound hardships of this miserable life when they stop for a makeshift puppet show. Cans, cardboard and string, it's a distraction, but kids have to relate to their make believe friends with stories just like theirs. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): When the war happened, everything was bombed and destroyed. We were displaced to the south. Dad was worried about us, and we are searching for safety.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): 12-year old Tala longs for the days when she had a hold in Gaza City.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): Life is unlivable. I only live for my siblings and parents. Here, I stop thinking about all that's on my mind. I watch the show and play with kids.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This might seem like a surreal scene, but at times of war, life does go on, as does the horror. In the same area of Gaza, injured children arrive into one of the last, hardly standing, hospitals. It's a constant stream of casualties from an Israeli strike nearby.
Among them, a severely injured toddler. He clings on to the stranger who brought him here. There's no room left. They leave him on the floor. His cries, his pain, drowned out by the chaos. Outside, another ambulance pulls up with another boy here for the morgue. It wasn't the bombs that killed him.
He starved to death, his father says, as they prepare him for burial, His emaciated body lays bare for the world to see what Israel Siege has done to Gaza's most vulnerable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): Put us somewhere safe and then fight as much as you want. I wish God would take us all and let us follow this child. I'm holding it together now, but when I leave here, I'll probably collapse. Maybe I'm pretending to be strong. But inside, I can't take it anymore.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The broken father, like, so many parents who helplessly watch their children die in their arms, their suffering has become a statistic by which the world that watches on measures the awfulness of this war.
His name was Mohammed Abu Khalub. He was only nine, born with cerebral palsy. He died by a garbage dump where his displaced family was forced to camp. Back inside the emergency room, that toddler is still on the floor, barely conscious, surrounded by medics, but no family by his side. No one knows his name. Thousands of children, like him, have arrived to hospitals injured and alone throughout this war.
We found that toddler days later at another hospital. His name is (inaudible) in intensive care. He hasn't uttered a word since the attack. The shock is still clear behind his glassy eyes, the dirt still under his fingernails. It's his aunt who's here with him. His mother was seriously injured.
Kamal still doesn't know his 14-month old sister is gone. Days after our cameraman filmed him in the ICU, we received the news that Kamal did not survive. He was three. One day, showing how fragile existence is in this place where life, death and stolen moments of joy meet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: And Fred, this is what is at stake at these talks, we are talking about human lives, the lives of children like little Kamal, the fate of the Israeli hostages, whose families have been going through unimaginable pain for more than 300 days.
But, you know, we speak to people in Gaza, and they can -- they say they no longer dare to hope, because they have been here before.
[08:10:00]
Hopes of a ceasefire have been crushed time and time again.
WHITFIELD: Well, Jomana, as heartbreaking, I mean, and as hard as it is to watch, it is so important that you and your team are able to bring us this kind of reporting and show us, and allow us to see and hear all that's happening. Appreciate it. Jeremy, so one has to wonder how all of this is going to have an impact on the negotiations.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that it adds a sense of urgency. You know, certainly the international pressure has been mounting, just as that death toll has been rising.
And as you can see in Jomana's report there, we are talking about every single day lives that are affected by the lack of a ceasefire in Gaza, whether it be the hostages who are still being held captive by Hamas, including one who was reportedly killed by Hamas guard, according to Hamas in just the last week, or the daily numbers of Palestinians who are killed every single day in the Gaza strip.
It is only a ceasefire agreement that will provide the reprieve for the daily lives of people in Gaza. Now, how much that actually makes its way into the room where these negotiations are happening is perhaps another matter. We have been watching, of course, this death toll mounts and mounts and mounts over the course of months of war, more than 10 months of war now.
And yet, so far, the political will on both the Israeli side as well as on Hamas' part, appears to have been lacking. And so, we understand that the Israeli Prime Minister has now given his negotiating team a slightly expanded mandate to carry out these negotiations, to try and bring them closer to a ceasefire deal.
But, it's still unclear whether that mandate will be enough to bridge the gap that currently exists between the Israeli position and Hamas'. What is clear is that enormous pressure is being brought to bear by the United States, by the Egyptian and the Qatari mediators, to bring these two sides together.
However, we should note that the expectations are certainly not very high for these talks today. There is the potential for progress to be made today, but certainly, no expectation that a deal will be achieved in these talks in Doha today.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, we'll leave it there. Jomana Karadsheh, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. All right, Ukraine has apparently announced another day of success in its cross-border offensive in Russia. New images now of Russian POWs captured over the last week.
A Ukrainian official told local media that they are treating the POWs in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, and that there are discussions about a possible prisoner exchange with Russian officials. On Wednesday, Ukraine conducted its biggest drone attack on Russian airfields since the war began.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes precise, timely and effective. Meanwhile, Mr. Zelenskyy is asking the West to provide more missiles, saying there are some operations that can't be done with drones alone. Clare Sebastian joins us now from London with more details on all of this. Clare, looking at the recent successful attacks, Ukraine has had in the Kursk region, how long can this last?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there's sort of two key factors there, Fred, there's one, how quickly Russia can bring in enough reinforcements to push them back, and two, when Ukraine believes that it has met at least some of its stated objectives. And on the -- the issue of Russian response here, it has so far not been decisive.
There is evidence they're bringing in reinforcements, but as recently as yesterday, the Ukrainian side was saying that they were advancing some one to two kilometers in some area. It seems that the advance still continues. Now, in terms of Ukraine's objectives, the sort of major stated ones being pushing Russia towards peace.
Clearly, no progress there, and in terms of drawing Russian troops away from other parts of the front lines and easing the pressure that way, well, CNN has a team in the border region of Sumy on the Ukrainian side, and they caught up with the Ukrainian commander. His group is actually active in Kursk at the moment, he was briefly on the other side of the border. He had this to say about potential progress there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KHOIOD, UKRANIAN COMMANDER (Interpreted): The Russians are now trying to stop our advance. They have pulled in reserves, which has benefited our defense forces in other areas, because it's become easier to work there. We have information that reserves were pulled from the Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, and Kharkiv regions to stop our advance. Of course, it will be harder for us to advance further, but we will still advance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: The regions that he names as areas that Russia has pulled in reinforcements from Zaporizhzhia, Crimea and Kharkiv.
[08:15:00]
He does not mention Donetsk on the eastern front, where we know Ukraine is under the most pressure, where Russia has had the most, albeit, slow success in recent months, and just on another point you showed the images that the CNN has obtained of the Russian soldiers captured Ukraine saying this is the biggest capture in a single day.
This appears to be also a secondary objective here, Ukraine estimates some 8,000 Ukrainian troops are still in Russian captivity. They are doing what they describe as replenishing the exchange fund, trying to capture as many Russian troops as possible, so they can be exchanged in order to bring those Ukrainian soldiers home. Fred?
WHITFIELD: And then, Clare, you know, I mentioned at the top that President Zelenskyy is asking the West for more missiles. Is there a response?
SEBASTIAN: Not as of yet. Look, Ukraine has been quite effective when it comes to the use of drones. We saw them hitting airfields, four of them in one night, they claimed in the biggest attack on, on Russian airfields in the whole course of this war so far.
But, they are using this moment when Ukraine is now on the front-foot inside Russian territory, when the narrative of this war has been turned upside down, to really push harder for not only more western long-range missiles, but a lifting of limitations on how they're able to use them.
We know, we've seen imagery that some western equipment is very likely being used by Ukraine in this incursion into Russia, things like armored vehicles, and the like. But certainly, it has not been the case that there's been any lifting restriction on the use of long- range missiles provided by the west into Russia.
So, that is something that he is certainly pushing for. In terms of the western response to this, certainly, the noises that we've heard so far out of Ukraine's western allies have been pretty positive. Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right. Clare Sebastian in London, thanks so much. All right. Still to come, Bermuda is now under a hurricane warning after Ernesto leaves a trail of destruction across Puerto Rico. Details next.
And appearing together for the first time since President Biden dropped out of the race for the White House, Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris will be in Maryland talking about prescription drug prices.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Later today, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will be together in Maryland. They will discuss their plan to lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare. This also comes one day ahead of Harris as presidential candidate, laying out her economic plan in North Carolina.
CNN's senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere is tracking all of this for us. Good morning to you, Isaac. So, all right, so Harris has been, you know, trying to present her own vision for America. She's going to roll that out tomorrow with, I guess, more detail. She's appearing alongside the President today.
[08:20:00]
So, how does this help, either, you know, solidify the -- the passing of the torch, at the same time, acknowledge that she is still, you know, in the White House, as a Vice President, even though, we're now months ahead of an election.
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, look, it's the two- step that she's going for here, Fredricka. Number one is that we've got her appearing with Joe Biden today to talk about this actual thing that has now been accomplished, to negotiate prices for some of the most popular drugs, things that deal with diabetes, heart disease, all sorts of other really important issues for a lot of Americans in the drugs that they're taking, how much they are paying for them.
That is done. It's done because of work that the Biden Administration did with the Kamala Harris as part of the Biden Administration. Then tomorrow, she starts to roll-out some of her policy ideas, talking about the economy first as she does this. It's been three-plus weeks here of her as presidential candidate.
This is the first time that we're actually seeing substantively what she says she will do. Of course, the difference between what she says she will do, what is done, is part of campaign is about, right? So, she will talk tomorrow about price gouging in supermarkets and what she would propose the federal government do to try to crack down on that.
We don't have a lot of details yet about how that would work. I'm not sure we're going to get too many details of -- of that tomorrow in her speech, it will be talking about that as a goal. That's the more traditional thing that a presidential campaign does, but the first real thing that we're hearing from her that she would do, in addition to just standing on the Biden Administration record.
WHITFIELD: All right, Edward -- Edward-Isaac Dovere, why do I do that every morning? I think it's because it's a morning thing for me. You know all of it's not working, but it will get there. All right. Thank you so much. Edward, good to see you.
DOVERE: Bye.
WHITFIELD: All right. Donald Trump will again face reporters today as he holds his second news conference in the past week. Trump's allies and advisers will be watching to see if he can stay on message, something he struggled with in last week's rambling news conference. It comes as Trump accuses Kamala Harris of ducking the press, Harris has not held an interview or news conference since announcing her presidential run almost a month ago. Trump is also blasting her for the economic record of the Biden Administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Kamala lays out her fake economic plan this week, probably will be a copy of my plan, because basically that's what she does. Just remember, she goes to work every morning in the West Wing. Her desk is 10 steps from the Oval Office. She cast the tie-breaking votes that gave us record inflation. And for nearly four years, Kamala has crackled as the American economy has burned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Let's bring in now CNN's Steve Contorno with more on what the Trump campaign is up to. So, the campaign wants him to stick to messages, but then, he, you know, kind of can't help himself. He goes back to Trump style. So, this kind of conflict within the campaign, how much is this a problem?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, we saw it play out yesterday. Fred at this speech in North Carolina, which was supposed to be about the economy, but really was focused intently on, on Vice President Harris and attacking her personally. He even sort of said at one point the quiet part out loud, he said, we are going to talk about one subject, and then, we will start going back to the other stuff, because we sort of love that.
And then, he said, they say the economy's most important subject, I'm not sure it is. So, clearly, as much as this was billed as an economic speech, Trump didn't treat it as one. When he did talk about the economy, those often looking backward at the last four years and trying to tie Vice President Harris to the inflation and the policies of Joe Biden, this is the area where they believe that Republicans may have an advantage.
He also looked ahead a little bit at what he would do as President talked about getting rid of taxes on tips, talked about getting rid of taxes on Social Security. Take a little listen of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Everyone will prosper, every family will thrive, and every day will be filled with opportunity, hope and joy. But for that to happen, we must never let Kamala Harris get anywhere near the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Now, if you listen long enough and hard enough you heard clips like that where he did talk about an economic message, something that was a little bit more forward-looking than we've seen from him in the past, then, he pivoted right back to attacking Harris.
We'll be watching closely today what he says. He is giving a press conference at his Bedminster home, and we'll see exactly which Trump shows up. Again, when, like you said, Fred, his Mar-a-Lago press conference, it sort of went off the rails.
WHITFIELD: All right. Steve Contorno, thanks so much. All right. Hurricane Ernesto has set its sights on Bermuda after leaving a trail of havoc across Puerto Rico.
[08:25:00] The Category 1 hurricane left hundreds of thousands without power, heavy rains causing flooding as winds up to 137 kilometers per hour battered Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The hurricane will approach Bermuda by early weekend. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking the storm, and he's joining us right now. So, what more can you tell us about Ernesto? Not quite finished, is it?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, it's not. And it's amazing to think that it was a tropical storm when it made its closest pass to Puerto Rico, and it caused this destruction you see behind me, from the incessant rainfall, but also the strong tropical storm force winds that knocked out power to so many.
So, it's going to be days to clean this up, and it's also going to take several days to get the power back. Remember, there's a lot of warmth. It's the summer season here. So, once the storm pulls away, as it's doing now, a lot of people are going to be left in the dark without the ability to cool themselves down.
So, that's problem in itself. 450,000-plus customers without power as we speak. This number is improving throughout the course of this morning, but there goes Ernesto, a lot of dry air wrapping in behind the system.
So, it's preventing it from forming that distinct eye that we would look for in a rapidly strengthening hurricane, although, we do expect it to take advantage of the very favorable environmental conditions over the western Atlantic, namely the warm ocean waters, the low shear environment, lots of things working in its favor.
And you'll see that explicitly from the National Hurricane Center as we time this out, going forward, a strengthening hurricane, perhaps major strength, major Category 3 by Friday afternoon, and then, some slight weakening before reaching Bermuda. Does it bring a land-falling storm to the island of Bermuda?
That is still TBD, to be determined, because you got to think about it. It's like threading a needle in a haystack or finding a needle in a haystack. This is very small island in a very vast ocean, but nonetheless, all of our computer models are pointing impacts for Bermuda on Friday, and into Saturday, whether or not we get the strongest winds.
That still, of course, will be determined here with the exact steering currents in the upper levels of the atmosphere. One thing is for sure, lots of heavy rain expected for Bermuda, the potential for flash flooding with over six to 10 inches of rain. We already saw what it did in Puerto Rico.
And then, there's going to be a lot of wave energy associated with this. So, not only will it emanate outward, but it could impact the east coast through the course of early next week, even this weekend as well, rip currents and the potential for large swells along the eastern seaboard. It's still summer break for many people, so we do need to take note of that.
Fredricka, it's a difficult scenario for people in Puerto Rico as they try to rebuild and recover after this tropical storm. But remember what happened here just a couple of years ago with Maria?
WHITFIELD: Yeah, who could forget? All right, thank you so much. Derek Van Dam, appreciate that. All right, Greece and 19 other countries across Europe are currently under heat alerts as they continue to battle ongoing extreme temperatures after a short break from the wildfire dangers, the threat level is expected to rise again in parts of Greece.
The fires, rather, have destroyed many homes and businesses, but one sculptor who lost his life's work in the blaze is now vowing to rebuild. Here's CNN, Eleni Giokos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emotions just too strong to hold for this local Greek sculptor who lost everything in the fires.
VANGELIS ILIAS, SCULPTOR (Interpreted): I've lost part of myself, part of soul, my state of mind is here.
GIOKOS (voice-over): This is what's left of his pieces, carefully carved by hand using an ancient Greek technique, years of work reduced to rubble.
GIOKOS (on-camera): So, Vangelis has also stored some of his most prized possession, some of the work he does for fun, in this container. There's a secret lock inside. You can't open it. The metal is completely melted, and if you look inside, completely dark, and the smell of smoke so evident, he just doesn't know the status of his work right now, and he needs to bring someone in to cut this open.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Many like Vangelis were not insured. They now depend fully on the government assistance plan. Residents can get up to EUR10,000 in aid. Vangelis estimates EUR60,000 worth of damage. But, that's not really what hurts
ILIAS (Interpreted): When I work on my artworks, I don't do it with money in mind. I work with creativity, esthetics, and my spiritual state as the guiding principles.
GIOKOS (voice-over): But the fire won't win, says, Vangelis. He has vowed to rebuild his life's work stone by stone.
ILIAS (Interpreted): I believe this won't ruin me, because I will put in personal work. I believe not. I believe not, and I will fight for it. A flower must bloom from the ashes.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Eleni Giokos, CNN, Penteli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:30:00]
WHITFIELD: Still to come. As the war in Gaza reaches a grim milestone, crucial talks are set to take place in Doha. We'll hear from the White House about what needs to happen, and to get a hostage and ceasefire deal over the line. Plus Google says Iranian hackers are attempting to meddle in the U.S. presidential election. What sensitive information they might have stolen? Up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. The UN human rights chief is calling it a grim milestone for the world. Earlier, Gaza's Health Ministry announced that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 10 months of war. Thousands more are believed to be buried beneath the rubble in Gaza. A devastating statistic comes before what's being described as a last ditch ceasefire negotiations set to resume in Qatar.
The source tells CNN, Hamas will not be participating in the talks but is willing to meet mediators after the meeting, if there is a serious response from Israel. A short time ago, White House National Security Council Spokesman, John Kirby, spoke to CNN about those crucial talks, and he sounded cautiously optimistic, but stressed that the Biden administration is looking for both sides to compromise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: What we're trying to do here at the White House is work feverishly, to get this ceasefire deal in place, so we can get at the very least six weeks of calm, and a chance to get the most at-risk hostages out now, not that they're not all at risk, they are. But I'm talking about the women, and the elderly, the sick, and the injured, get them home to their families where they belong. And that's why we're in Doha right now, and that's why we're working so hard on this.
Both sides need to show compromise. Both sides need to show some leadership here. We are now talking about the implementing details of the deal itself. The smaller gaps that we absolutely believe can be narrowed in terms of how the deal is executed. It's not about a debate in Doha today about the deal itself, the structure of it. It's now about implementing --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Iranian hackers are putting in more work than previously thought to influence the U.S. presidential election. That's according to Google, which describes the Iranian operation as ongoing and wide- ranging. Its reported targets include the email accounts of people associated with President Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Iran has denied it's trying to meddle in the U.S. elections.
CNN's Sean Lyngaas is joining us now, live from Washington. Good to see you this morning. So, just how extensive Is this a hacking operation that Iran is being accused of being involved in? SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Fred, the -- this hacking operation is pretty extensive. I mean, Iran, Russia, China are always trying to collect intelligence on U.S. policy, U.S. policymakers.
[08:35:00]
But what makes this a little bit different is the timeline that we're in. There's obviously incredible attention between the U.S.-Iran. There's particular animosity between the Iranian government and the Trump circle because of the U.S. killing of the top Iranian general when Trump was in office. So, this is kind of a pervasive effort to knock on as many digital doors, as many email accounts as possible to collect information.
And the question is, are they going -- what are they going to do that with that information? Is it going to just stay where it is and inform Iranian leadership about what's going on in the U.S.? Or are we going to see leaks of information to try to undermine confidence in the election? We've already seen a leak of purported Trump campaign documents that follow the Iranian hack. We don't have confirmation that those two things are related, the FBI is investigating.
But Fredricka, we've seen this movie before in 2016, when the Russian intelligence services hacked the Hillary Clinton campaign and leaked a bunch of documents to undermine that candidacy. So, U.S. officials are bracing for potential follow-on hacks and leaks. We will -- we will see, as we're -- 90 days to go till the election, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sean Lyngaas in DC. Thanks for bringing that to us. Appreciate it. All right. Former President Donald Trump has suggested that he will flee to Venezuela if he loses November's election. It comes at a pivotal time for Venezuela, amid economic crisis, and contested presidential elections.
During that conversation with Elon Musk, Trump said he believes the South American country would be a safer nation than the U.S., if Kamala Harris is in -- if Kamala Harris becomes the next President. Stefano Pozzebon has details on Venezuela's problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Venezuela, their crime is down 72 percent. They're taking their criminals, their murders, their rapists, and they're delivering them, as if something happens with this election, which would be a horror show, we'll meet the next time in Venezuela because it will be a far safer place to meet than our country.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Unrest, deadly protests, mass detentions. These are images from the last two weeks in Venezuela, a country where democracy is fighting to prevail.
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: The regime is at its weakest position ever. They have lost total legitimacy, and what they had done is unleash a campaign of terror persecution.
POZZEBON (voice-over): On July 28, authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro was declared winner of a presidential election by Venezuela's electoral body, which is stacked with Maduro's allies and has not released official voting tallies. The opposition has called it a fraud, publishing tens of thousands of electoral records, and claiming their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, is the real winner.
Protests that blown up across the country have been brutally repressed. More than 20 people have been killed, and over 2,000 have been detained, according to government's figure. Local and foreign media outlets have been blocked, and Maduro has banned X, formerly known as Twitter, for 10 days.
This week, several position activists in pro government areas of Caracas said they have received threats with their homes being marked out as a form of intimidation. People who once want to change now fear for their life and that of their loved ones. The relatives of opposition leaders detained in government crackdown, telling CNN, they do not have proof of life or heard from them in days.
MARIA DE GRAZIA, DAUGHTER OF OPPOSITION FIGURE AMERICO DE GRAZIA (interpreted): Of course, I fear for my life, for my siblings lives, for my father's life. But even with this fear, I feel one of the things my dad passed on to us with his action is his bravery.
POZZEBON (voice-over): The United States, the EU, and the UN have all urged Maduro to release full action results and to refrain from caution dissent. Before the election, independent surveys found that up to a third of Venezuelans say they would consider leaving the country if Maduro stayed in power.
Donald Trump's rhetoric on Venezuela can be dangerous. CNN has fact- checked his comments and found them not to be true. With migration already a central issue in November's presidential election, the crisis in Venezuela could well prove consequential for both U.S. candidates. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.
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WHITFIELD: All right. The ongoing impact Mpox outbreak in Africa is now officially a global health emergency. The World Health Organization made the declaration on Wednesday after a more deadly strain of virus spread to four new countries. And pox has infected more than 17,000 people in Africa this year, killing more than 500 of them. The WHO chief is concerned the virus could keep spreading.
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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR-GENERAL: It's clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives. A public health emergency of international concern is the highest level of alarm under international health law.
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WHITFIELD: Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, can easily spread through close contact among people or through contaminated items. The WHO is moving to ramp up vaccinations and other health measures. All right. Still to come, Swifties have descended on London. But with tightened security, a fan favorite activity has been scrapped. What Taylor Swift fans can expect? Straight ahead.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Taylor Swift is set to resume her Eras concert tour, with the first of five shows at London's Wembley Stadium in the coming hours, and security will be extremely tight. This will be Swift's first time on stage since canceling her shows in Vienna last week because of a foiled terror plot, and since three girls were stabbed to death at a dance class with a Taylor Swift theme in Southport, England last month.
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TERRI HAKALA (AT SWIFT CONCERT WITH 9-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER): We traveled from the States to go to the Vienna shows. And our shows were canceled. Obviously, all of them were. And so, we came to London, hoping to still make it happen.
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WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, die-hard fans. 90,000 die-hard fans are expected at each London show. And those without tickets will not be allowed to gather outside the arena, a common practice known as tailgating. Heightened security measures are in place around the stadium. And officials are urging Swifties to be vigilant about security, saying, quote, don't shake it off as not important.
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BIANCA MARINO, FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT: I think it makes you just a little bit unsteady, I think, especially with all the crowds and things. And as much as I'm sure, security's like ramped up, and things, it does make you a little bit on edge.
FRANCESCA ABELA, FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT: We're a bit nervous about it, after hearing it. But then we're researching about it, and we've heard that they will be increasing the security here at Wembley, and they're double-checking everyone. So, it's made us feel more at ease about that situation.
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WHITFIELD: Oh, hopefully everybody's going to have just a good time. Authorities say the terror threat that caused those Vienna shows to be called off was apparently cultivated online. Experts say extremist preachers are using social media to radicalize teenagers and lure them into a world of jihadi violence. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the story
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is playing Fortnite allowed? Is Botox a sin? Can you watch the World Cup? [08:45:00]
This is Abul Baraa, the German speaking TikTok preacher, who is targeting and radicalizing young minds by answering seemingly innocent questions from his followers. In light of a foiled terror plot on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, there is renewed concern about online extremism among youth. The 19-year-old alleged mastermind of the attack was radicalized online. Austrian authorities say that we don't yet know how.
Abul Baraa has repeatedly denied any connection to ISIS and never openly calls for violence, but he is always testing boundaries online. If someone is, quote, bad, he says in this clip, then regardless if that person is Muslim or non-Muslim, this means death is better for them. With his, at times, lighthearted and relatable style, he draws teenagers in and then attempts to isolate them from society, says Kaan Orhon, who runs a program to deradicalize youth.
KAAN ORHON, DERADICALIZATION CASE WORKER, GREEN BIRD ASSOCIATION: The tries to get them to sever family bonds, distance themselves from parents, from siblings, from friends.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Viewers may then be presented with more and more extremist content by a social media algorithm built to fuel and feed their interests.
ABDELAZIZ (on-camera): What makes him so dangerous?
ORHON: What makes him dangerous is that he is like a gateway drug. He lays the groundwork, where other actors are picking his target audience up and leading them further into radicalization.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Germany's security services have had Abul Baraa on their radar for years. A Berlin mosque, where he was chief imam, was shut down by authorities in 2020 and another affiliated group banned for extremist activity earlier this year. But on TikTok, where he has more than 82,000 followers, he is undeterred and prolific, even responding to recent media reports linking him to the Taylor Swift concert terror plot.
There is a massive campaign against us, he says, every time they try to find something new, so they can silence us. But those who follow Abul Baraa may become ripe for the picking by radical groups like ISIS-K, which is actively seeking to recruit teenagers because it presents a challenge to authorities.
NICOLAS STOCKHAMMER, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA: The calculation of ISIS-K and those people who are behind this dynamic is that they are not -- it's not so easy to prosecute them by law because they are too young.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Leaving vulnerable young minds susceptible to recruitment in corners of the Internet, beyond the reach of authorities, and away from the eyes of family and friends. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN London.
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WHITFIELD: And CNN has made multiple attempts to reach Abul Baraa for comment. And at the time of publication, we had not received a response. All right. The backbone of America's economy remains solid. That's according to new retail sales numbers just out. Sales unexpectedly surged in July, according to the Commerce Department, rising a solid 1 percent from June. That's good news because the economy depends on Americans spending those dollars.
The good retail data is pushing up the U.S. market ahead of the opening bell, Dow futures are -- ba-dum ba-dum, I don't see them. There we go. All right. They're looking up. The NASDAQ also up, as is the S&P 500. All right. Still to come. Stranded in space. How long will two astronauts stuck in space have to wait to come home? Next, I'll speak to a former commander of the International Space Station about NASA's options.
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WHITFIELD: OK. So, it was a space mission that was supposed to last eight days. And now, NASA says it needs more time to decide how to bring two stranded astronauts home more than 70 days later. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore blasted off back in June on their first manned test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, but a helium leak was detected in the Starliner ship, extending their stay on the International Space Station indefinitely.
And NASA officials say they still need at least another week to decide how to safely bring the crew members back to Earth. For more now, let's speak to someone who knows all about life on the International Space Station. Chris Hadfield is a retired astronaut and former ISS commander. He's also the author of the new book The Defector, and he's joining us live now from Stag Island, Canada. All right. So, what would you feel like if you were going on an eight-day mission, and now it seems like you're there indefinitely. How do you suppose they are feeling right now?
CHRIS HADFIELD, FORMER CANADIAN ASTRONAUT: I was looking at Suni and Butch yesterday. They feel like the luckiest people that exist.
WHITFIELD: They do look awfully happy.
HADFIELD: They were confined (CROSSTALK) many short little eight-day flight. And they got to do what astronauts are trained to do, and that is go live, and work in space for months at a time. So, it's funny to hear you say they're stranded in space. That's what astronauts do for a living. We think everybody's stranded on Earth. So, it's -- I think it's a perspective thing.
WHITFIELD: Oh, interesting. OK. So, they are sunny about it all. All right. So then, what about this process? I mean, you know, NASA needs a little bit more time in which to figure out how to get them back. What is it that they are trying to craft? What are they trying to work out?
HADFIELD: The beauty of it is, Fredricka, is they're safely docked to the space station. So, it's not that they need more time. It's just that they have a whole bunch of very safe time. And they want to do every single thing they can to make it as safe as possible, to bring Suni and Butch home.
What they're doing right now is they've built a really high-quality three-dimensional model, a digital model of these little valves that are failing, and they want to run a whole bunch of simulations of those with the best simulation they can, so that they have the greatest chance of making all the right decisions to bring them home.
Eventually, because of other ships coming and going, they've got to say, OK, it's time to undock and come back. Looks like probably by the end of the month, that'll happen, but there's no big rush. And so, that's the timeline they're working to.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, I love your synopsis. This is really not being stranded. This is really what they've been working for all their lives. And this is fun. I mean, this is -- this was the goal, right, to be in space, and to maximize their experience. But then, give me an idea, so for Suni and Butch, well, it was eight days. It didn't even take luggage.
I understand just through, you know, reading over the course of time, that they've been borrowing clothes, and all that. You've spent time on ISS. What is existence like on the ISS? I mean, what -- what is the daily routine, besides the experiments that a lot of them are conducting? What is the daily routine like? What kind of stuff do you need?
HADFIELD: Yeah, we don't bring luggage. We don't bring luggage with us. But there's a -- there's this whole backlog supply of clothes up there. There's enough food for a long time. A resupply ship just launched last night, and there was one a couple weeks ago. We recycle almost 100 percent of the water. We're running hundreds of experiments. So, having two extra people to help run all those experiments just makes the space station way more efficient.
I don't know if you saw Suni and Butch's introduction to the Olympics, but you can just see how happy, and productive, and joyful they are to be there. And this will be their last flight, I'm sure. They're both very senior astronauts. They've flown in space multiple times. So, what a gift for them. And we just now need to make sure we do everything we can to make sure that Boeing spaceship is healthy, and we make all the right decisions to bring them home.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, and I know this is the apex, and I appreciate -- and I so appreciate you kind of filling in that portion of this journey that this -- this is optimal. I mean, this is what a lot of these astronauts have been working toward.
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But then, for their families and everybody back on Earth, I mean what do you suppose it's like for them? They -- I guess they prepare for the unexpected all the time, when you're in an astronauts family. But what do you suppose this experience has been like for them?
HADFIELD: Well, they had a very different summer than they were expecting, I'm sure. If they -- if they were planning to go to the beach with their family, that's not going to happen this summer. But -- but yeah, it's -- I mean, both Suni and Butch, they were combat pilots, and then they were Navy test pilots. So, their families are used to the disruption of that type of life of service.
And then, astronauts, a professional astronaut's life is a life of service. So, you get to have one of the greatest experiences of all humanity to leave the planet for extended periods, but that doesn't come for free. And so yeah, it's part of the deal. And they'll have a good reunion. And they'll be able to look back on this as perhaps one of the most magnificent three-month periods of their lives.
WHITFIELD: Incredible. Oh, thank you so much. Chris Hadfield, really appreciate it. And we look forward to hearing more of their stories. And I mean, we celebrate their commitment. How extraordinary. Thanks so much. And thank you for joining me here in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitefield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.
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